Sometimes the wisest thing to do is stop

I have had a lot on my plate of late. I have been struggling through it all exhausted and wondering how I am going to manage everything. I have to-do lists strewn throughout the house, in fact I really should collate all those lists (hmm … put that on my to-do’s) See that’s how crazy it has been getting!

But on Monday I had a revelation. Instead of sitting down with the lists and trying by sheer force of will to get through them, I stopped.

I lit a candle.

I painted my nails.

I watched TV.

I know sacrilege isn’t it!

There were dishes in the sink I could have been doing. Phone calls I could have been making. Rooms I could have been tidying. Emails I could have been sending.

It was the best thing I could have done. That afternoon, I had patience and actually listened to my children’s ceaseless chatter about the day. I had energy to make piklets for afternoon tea. I had the mental capacity to deal with inevitable arguments after a long day of school.

What about you?

Are you a professional woman going striaght from work to a church meeting, and eating dinner in the car on the way?

Take a breathe. Take a night off for yourself. It’s okay.

Are you a working mum? And in the few days you have at home with your babies, you think you have to clean house, spend quality time with them and help out at the school?

Take an hour. Paint your nails. It’s okay.

Are you a young woman, studying and serving and working? Did you know it’s okay to sometimes take some time and just sleep? Let your body recover from the frantic schedule.

Go on take a nap, it’s okay.

It’s okay to take a break, it’s okay to take some time for you. It’s okay to stop. Because often that is the key to give you the energy to keep going.